Today in class, we talked about participant observation and being able to open up and participate, but at the same time, remember to still be an objective observer of what's happening around you. Last week, I got to practice this skill, and found that it's a lot harder than I thought. I had a really hard time shifting between the two roles, tending to do either one or the other for a long period and then suddenly remembering that I had forgotten to switch.
When I was in middle school, I played on a basketball team. I was the biggest, tallest girl on my team and really good at getting the ball, but once I had it, I would always pass it off to someone else to take from there. In my mind, I had only assigned myself the task of getting the ball, and hadn't ever thought past that. I think doing participant observation, or just having a conversation can be the same way sometimes. You assign yourself a role, (talking/listening, or participating/observing) so if someone hands you the ball when you're not expecting it, you fumble.
As I was walking home today, I was thinking that while I am in South Africa, it will be important for me not only to ask questions and listen to people about their life stories, but to be willing to open up and share some of who I am as well. Communication is more than just talking or just listening. You have to be able to do some of both.
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